Jade Jacquet has become the first woman to win a race in French Formula 4 – her success comes as a surprise after what has been a challenging year so far
Jade Jacquet has made history. The 16-year-old became the first woman to win a race in French Formula 4 at the weekend. At the Circuit de Ledenon, the F1 Academy driver prevailed against, amongst others, the Belgian karting world champion Thibaut Ramaekers.
For Jacquet, who is competing for Williams in the F1 Academy this season, it was by far the best Formula 4 result of her career. She has been competing in the national series in France since 2025, but had never finished in the top 10 there in the nearly two years prior to her victory.
In the second of three races over the weekend, Jacquet benefited from a reverse grid. She had qualified in tenth place and therefore started the second race from pole position, going on to secure a start-to-finish victory, including the fastest lap.
In the first race beforehand, she had failed to see the chequered flag; in the third and final race of the weekend, she finished 13th, thereby at least winning the women’s classification once again.
JADE. JACQUET. HISTORY. 🏆💙
Her first F4 win.
Led every lap.
History made.Jade becomes the first woman to win a race in the overall French F4 championship. pic.twitter.com/sjAMNwLfft
— Atlassian Williams F1 Team (@WilliamsRacing) 19 September 2026
On social media, Jacquet herself wrote: “What an incredible weekend with all its ups and downs! I still can hardly believe it. An experience I will never forget!”
Her success came as a surprise, not least because Jacquet is not usually even the best woman in the series. Lisa Billard, for example, who is also competing in the F1 Academy in 2026, has already secured four top-10 finishes in French Formula 4 this year.
Even in the F1 Academy, Jacquet is not among the top female drivers in 2026. After the first nine races of her rookie season in the women’s series, she is still without a single point and sits in 18th place in the championship. Her best individual result is an eleventh-place finish at Zandvoort.
However, following her victory at the weekend, no one can take away her place in the history books.
